Pinyin: Yuan Hua  Chinese: 芫花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Genkwa
English: Daphne Genkwa Flower

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, warm, toxic
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Lung, and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains water downward, drives out thin mucus and promotes urination
   Accumulation of fluid in the chest, flanks, and abdomen (harsh cathartic and diuretic)
2. Resolves Phlegm and stops cough
   Coughing and wheezing
   Chronic bronchitis with a preponderance of Dampness and Cold (can be taken alone with sugar)
3. Kills parasites (topical)
   Parasitic infestations such as tinea

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction. 0.6g in powder or pill form.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to pregnancy and valetudinarian, and antagonistic to Gan Cao.

Pinyin: Gan Sui  Chinese: 甘遂
Pharmaceutical: Radix Euphorbia Kansui
English: Sweet Spurge Root

Tastes: Bitter, cold, toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung, Kidney, and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains water downward and eliminates congested fluids and thin mucus
   Severe accumulation of fluid in the chest and abdomen Generalized oedema, facial oedema and abdominal distention
2. Expels Phlegm
   Epilepsy due to Phlegm Blocking the Heart Orifices Seizures from Wind-Phlegm Withdrawal mania from recalcitrant Phlegm congealing and clumping
3. Clears Heat, reduces swelling and disperses hardenings
   Swollen, painful, nodular Damp-Heat skin lesions (topical-appropriate for early stages, with oral ingestion of herbs that clear Heat and resolve toxicity)

Standard Dosage: 0.5-1g in powder form. The active form does not dissolve in water so decoction should be avoided.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to the pregnant women and those anxious about their health. It is antagonistic to Gan Cao.

Pinyin: Da Ji  Chinese: 大薊
Pharmaceutical: Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici
English: Japanese Thistle

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cool
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematemesis, hematuria, hemafecia or uterine bleeding
2. Disperses Blood Stasis, reduces swelling and generates flesh
   Topically for carbuncles, sores, and swellings (Chuang Yung) (use fresh)
3. Benefits the Gallbladder and reduces jaundice
   Jaundice, especially due to Damp-Heat
4. Lowers Blood pressure
   Hypertension, especially due to Liver Heat

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Da Huang  Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat and purges accumulations
   Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
   Yang-Ming Fu Stage
   Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
2. Drains Fire
   Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
   Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
3. Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
   Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
4. Drains Heat from the Blood
   Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
   Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
   It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
5. Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
   Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
   Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
   Intestinal abscess
6. Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
   Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
7. Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
   Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out.

Pinyin: Huang Bai  Chinese: 黄柏
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Phellodendri
Taxonomy: Phellodendron amurense seu chinense
English: Amur Corktree Bark

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Kidney and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Damp-Heat especially from the Lower Jiao
   Thick, yellow vaginal discharge, foul smelling diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao
   Hot Leg Qi with red, swollen, painful knees, legs or feet
   Damp-Heat jaundice
2. Drains Kidney Fire (False Heat, Deficiency Heat)
   Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire Rising (steaming bone disorder, night sweats, afternoon fevers and sweating, occasionally with nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea)
3. Drains Fire and relieves Fire toxicity
   Toxic sores and Damp-skin lesions (internally and topically)

Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach.